EU labelling of meat stunned before slaughter rejected by BritainIdentifying meat that has been pre-stunned was opposed by UK in 2010 amid fears it discriminated against Jewish and Muslim communities

The British government opposed EU measures that would have required meat to carry labels confirming whether it came from animals that had been stunned before slaughter. As the row over unlabelled halal and kosher meat in the food chain rages, it has emerged that attempts to introduce a form of labelling were approved by the European parliament in June 2010.

However, the government declined to support the measures amid concerns from Muslim and Jewish groups that it was discriminatory. The European council of ministers then put the proposals out for review and its findings are due next month.

Groups such as the Muslim Council of Britain and Shechita UK, the body that promotes what it describes as the "Jewish religious humane method of dispatching animals", hope the review will call for a comprehensive form of meat labelling, rather than one that simply states whether animals have been stunned.